Noel in Paris

White Christmases are severely overrated. I prefer a sunny Christmas!

The first week of vacation has been pretty great, not that my work week is so difficult, but hey, who doesn't like vacation time?

This week Mel and I searched for the American grocery store in Paris-- aptly called "Thanksgiving"-- because we needed to buy some goods for Christmas.

Holy overpriced Macaroni and Cheese!

I thought that stuff was intended for poorer families and college students. You'd definitely have the blues if you spent 4 euros on a box of it (about 7 dollars). I'd love to know what kind of Americans are so homesick for a box of the blues that they're willing to dish out that kind of money for a little taste of childhood. Though I suppose there are some curious Europeans who wander in there thinking it's an American delicacy, which it is when it costs less than two bucks!

After purchasing the necessary cooking items, Mel and I purposefully lost ourselves in the Marais.

Dead birds that I couldn't resist takinga picture of to share with everyone else.

We found lots of very cute boutiques and several places that we'd like to revisit once the SOLDES begin in January.

For those unaware, the SOLDES (sales) happen twice a year in France. Once in janvier and again in juillet and they last for about a month. Imagine black Friday for a month, and you've got it!

Once we tired ourselves out we sat down for some falafel. I'm slowly becoming obsessed with falafel.

On Christmas Eve Mel made stuffing and I helped her make sugar cookies to bring to JC's family's Christmas party that night.

Finished cookies!

Both the cocokies and the stuffing went over well with the Frenchies, though I hardly recognized the stuffing when it was so delicately and perfectly placed in a small portion on my plate. I went back for seconds.

JC, me, and my new friend Petunia

We arrived home from the party around midnight and decided that we couldn't wait to open our presents, so we put on some Christmas tunes and dove right in!


On Christmas day we put ourselves into coffee/cocacola/chocolate comas and had a "True Blood" marathon on Mel's computer. I didn't leave the apartment once and it was a fabulously lazy Christmas. I even got to talk to my family for a little bit on skype.